[RTTY] VP8ORK 20m Yesterday

[Greg Gobleman]

The ugly details.  Not having used RTTY since the DOS days, I have only
played with it a little in the past month or so.  With some help my HAL
DXP38 works with N1MM Logger, or so I thought.  Yeah, it's probably operator
error and not fair to blame Windows.  That still doesn't mean Windows
doesn't complicate things.  :)

Rig is an FT-2000D, CAT on COM 8 using a USB adapter which works well with
every program I have used.  HAL DXP38 on COM 2, the only real serial port on
the computer.  Computer is a Core2Duo, 2.13gHz, 4gb Dual Channel RAM.  I
have an external soundcard, *M*-*Audio FireWire Audiophile  *which I have
used to open MMTTY windows for additional decoding.  I use, have used, the
HAL in the past with FSK and want to stay away from AFSK.  Don't want to
have to build any more interfaces which is why I was using the HAL and not
the soundcard to key the rig.

DSPWin works just fine.  I just need to sit down and set up some macro
messages.  Logger32 for some reason isn't happy with the HAL and I need to
figure that out.  N1MM Logger seemed to be just fine with the HAL.  This is
where I got into trouble last night.  I closed Logger32 and opened N1MM
Logger.  Opened the Digital window and it immediately ran the HAL codes
across the screen so it knew it was there and started spitting out anything
it heard.  Great.  Opened a couple of MMTTY windows and set different
profiles.  Cool, they were decoding and what one wasn't the other seemed to
get most of it.  I just needed to quickly edit a couple buttons with a de
k9zm k9zm and a tu 599 599 messages and I was good to go jump into the
pileup.  So I popped up to 10m.  Edited two buttons in the digital window
real quick.  Clicked on them a couple times and transmitted low power out on
10m.  Heck it's dead up there.  Worked great.  Popped back down to 20m.

Then I set the split frequency with the 2nd receiver.  Up a couple kHz.
Listened for a bit.  Couldn't get anyone stateside clearly in the rush to
make sure my messages seemed similar.  But I figured they would do.  Sounded
good, VP8ORK UP and I clicked the first button....and nothing happened.  So
now I am like, "what the heck"!  Only thing I did different than 10m was go
spilt.  So I am checking the rig settings.  All looked good.  Now I am
feeling rushed.  Tried it a few more times and frustration increased.  So I
went back to the main VFO and hit the clarifier.  Only I changed my mind
about tuning the transmit to tuning the receiver and managed to turn both
on.  Clicked that stupid button and it transmitted.  Cool.  Now it's
working.  Worked great a few times.  Then the button stopped again.  Careful
observation of the digital window showed that it seemed to lock up
occasionally when a macro button was pushed.

Of course this whole time I am transmitting on the VP8.  A loud signal came
in very brief once.  I didn't pick up on it, as I was scratching my head
about this digital window.  Trying to think of what else I could do.  The
2nd time I heard that loud signal I realized it was right after I managed to
get a button to work.  Then I looked and saw what they were trying to tell
me.  It was about then the VP8 disappeared.  I just shut it all down and
went to bed.

Of course I have all the usual equipment one would have connected to the
rig.  Mic, keyer, two amps, etc.  Didn't list them because they shouldn't
affect RTTY operation.

What I don't understand is why I had that erratic behavior from the digital
window in N1MM Logger.  I didn't need to use it.  I suppose I could have
used DSPWin, or figure out what I needed to do with the digital window in
Logger32, but the macro messages are easy to enter in N1MM.  I need to spend
more time.  But like most of us.  I work.  I been chasing the VP8.  Working
some 6 meters.  Keeping the XYL happy.  Everybody has been there.  I just
wish that in some of my Internet searches I could come across more station
information.  How others are doing things.  Being off the air a few years
kind of put me behind.

(Sorry for the length)

73
Greg k9zm